Wraith
Chapter Fifteen
Beta: Smithrooks
Birth of Hatred
Beacon, many years ago…
So… Pyrrha was scary as hell.
That particular gem of information was, of course, something Jaune already knew. It was something he had been acutely aware of since she had speared him to a tree back during initiation, but looking at her now…
Currently, he and Pyrrha were in one of Beacon's many training rooms, the small arena large enough for two people to fight but too cramped to allow for any spectators. Jaune was admittedly nervous when he first asked Pyrrha to train with him on the roof the other night, what with her being a world-famous champion fighter and all.
But looking at her now… her aura was tight, almost coiled as her energy pumped through every part of her body. Was this a higher skill level in aura use? When Cardin, Sky and Dove fought, their aura looked about the same as it did normally. Maybe Pyrrha was consciously prepping her aura for defence rather than letting the energy do it passively?
It was all very flattering actually, to have the famous Pyrrha Nikos on guard and cautious at the prospect of fighting little old Jaune Arc.
Jaune himself was fully kitted out, all his armour firmly attached and all the relevant Dust literally hidden up his sleeves. The only thing he was missing was Crocea Mors, the old family sword still tucked under his bed gathering dust - and not the useful kind.
"Are you ready, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, her sword Milo held ready in her right hand and her shield Akouo in her left.
The skin under the bandages on Jaune's hands throbbed painfully from long nights of practicing with fire Dust, but he would not be dissuaded. Jaune would give it his all; he would try his hardest to win.
Slipping a crystal that even to Jaune's blind eyes glowed a dangerous red into his right hand, Jaune rubbed his thumb over the fire Dust. He had a plan to win, not a very good one perhaps, but a plan nonetheless. In his left hand, Jaune clutched one of the more expensive crystals that he owned, the gravity Dust thrumming lightly with potential energy. A small grin crossed the Arc's maimed face as he nodded slightly. "I'm ready, don't hold back!"
"Very well," Pyrrha breathed, her black and gold aura tingling with both agitation and excitement. "Begin!"
Pyrrha launched towards Jaune like a rocket, her speed horrifically beyond anything Jaune could hope to match himself. But in the single moment of time Jaune had, he jerked his right fist outwards in a punching motion and a small fireball exploded towards his enemy.
It was the best he could do with such little time to react; the small fireball exploded harmlessly over Pyrrha's trusty shield, the flames washing past the Spartan girl without doing any damage.
Jaune felt his blind eyes widen slightly at the uselessness of his initial attack, but he wasn't out of tricks yet, he could still win this!
A mere fraction of a second before Pyrrha's sword slashed at his face, Jaune jerked his aura into the gravity Dust in his left hand - this time his aim wasn't to increase the weight of something like he had back in Forever Fall, but instead to lighten something. More specifically, lighten himself.
In that single instant, Jaune went from being an 80-kilo man to a 40-kilo man as he halved his weight, and with speed previously impossible for him he jerked his head backwards out of Pyrrha's range as she attempted to slash at his face.
The champion was undeterred however, and in one fluid motion she swung her shield through where Jaune's torso should have been.
But unfortunately for her, Jaune was still moving at double his normal speed and managed to flip backwards out of the way of her attack. The effect of the gravity Dust faded however, and Jaune suddenly found himself his normal weight once again. But that was okay; he had bought himself enough distance and time to mount a proper counterattack.
Putting more force into it this time, Jaune jerked his right hand towards his enemy once again, a much larger ball of fire searing and melting his flesh before shooting outwards and slamming into Pyrrha.
But the effect was minimal; while Jaune was stuck panting for air to satisfy his oxygen-starved lungs Pyrrha was blasted back about a metre, her armoured heels digging into the ground as she covered herself with her shield. Worse still was the fact that it had exhausted the power of the crystal, leaving it an empty shell - worthless unless he tried to stab her with it.
"Don't think you'll escape next time," her black and gold aura flickered, excitement? Or maybe it was arrogance? "Now that I know you are moving at double speed, I need simply adjust my distance to compensate for it."
Jaune didn't answer her; he was too stunned that she had picked out his strategy so quickly. Just how the hell did she do it?
But Jaune didn't have time to ponder it. In a flash, Pyrrha was on the move again. Her speed just as ridiculous as the last charge, Pyrrha shifted her sword into its spear form and launched herself at him - the tip of her spear poised to stab into Jaune's ribcage.
She was fast, far faster than Cardin and the others had been when training him. But he could still do this, he could still-
Jaune jerked backwards, but to his horror he didn't move.
In the fraction of a second Jaune had to comprehend what was happening, he could have sworn he saw the black outline of Pyrrha's aura settle over his armour and lock him in place.
But the moment passed, and Pyrrha slammed her spear into Jaune's chest.
Were it not for his aura Jaune would have died quickly, but as it was he felt his breath explode out of his lungs as he was rocketed backwards from the force of the strike. With a great whoosh of air he slammed into the wall behind him, his aura thankfully shielding him from any mortal injury.
Pyrrha hesitated for a moment when Jaune slumped to the ground. The pulse of her aura slowed down slightly as she stayed where she was, her concern slightly outweighing her desire to win.
Which was of course, a mistake on her part. Did she really think that a single blow would be enough to take him out of the fight? Jaune was almost offended, almost.
Using her single moment of weakness, Jaune switched out the empty and lifeless fire Dust crystal in his hand and replaced it with another favourite of his - lightning Dust. Pyrrha had made the mistake of underestimating him, and for that Jaune landed his first successful attack.
Brilliantly shining arcs of energy spewed out of Jaune's right hand towards Pyrrha, and to Jaune's utter delight it worked exactly as planned. Even with her shield in place to protect her, the energy washed over the champion with brutal effectiveness. Wearing metal armour was always a rather risky idea when fighting someone who could literally shoot lightning from their fingertips.
But just like with fire Dust burning his hands, lightning Dust had its drawbacks too. The energy seared through Jaune's hands painfully and made the small muscles in his palm twitch and contract.
At the worst possible moment Jaune felt his fingers twitch involuntarily from the lightning Dust, forcing him to drop the blindingly yellow crystal to the ground.
The lightning that had been assaulting Pyrrha stopped as soon as it was cut off from Jaune; even to Jaune's blind eyes she twitched slightly, had the lightning Dust really been that effective? Maybe he should invest in it more if it was so useful…
The black and gold aura of his enemy was ever so slightly duller than normal, showing the damage he had done with his single attack. But he had no more lightning Dust, and if he tried to retrieve the crystal he had dropped then he would be opening himself up for attack…
He had to think! What could he do here? He had one more fire Dust Crystal, his gravity Dust had about two thirds left of its power… he had to do the unexpected, that was the only chance he had of even coming close to a victory. He was at a massive disadvantage at close range, and she had far more aura remaining than he did; the black and golden light had maybe 90% or 85% left by his reckoning, while Jaune himself was easily down to about 35% from her attack as well as the damage he was inflicting on himself by using such volatile Dust.
Well, this just meant that he had to change things up a little.
Jaune jerked his aura in his left hand, his soul energy feeding into the gravity Dust with even more ferocity than last time. In that single moment Jaune went from being 80 kilos, to a paltry 20 - and with it his speed tripled as well.
With speed that Jaune could only dream of normally he leapt at his opponent, his right hand devoid of any Dust and raised in a striking position above his head.
This is where the hard part of Jaune's plan came in. He knew that if he struck Pyrrha with all his might now then it would still be far weaker than was required to actually do any damage, as any weight he put behind the attack was practically nil compared to what he was usually able to do. But that's where the last dregs of power in the gravity Dust came into play. Currently he had lightened himself 3x, but what if he did the opposite?
In that single fraction of a second before his hammer-blow made contact Jaune forced his aura to reverse the effect of the gravity Dust, his normal 80 kilos suddenly doubling to 160, then doubling again to 320 kilos.
Jaune's attack dropped on Pyrrha like a meteor, her normally indomitable defence utterly unable to deal with the sudden pressure of Jaune's impossible weight. The stone tiles beneath their feet cracked and split as Jaune's downwards blow hurtled Pyrrha to the ground.
But the effect wasn't wholly positive for Jaune either; in the few short moments he had before the crystal ran out of energy, every bone in Jaune's body felt like it was going to snap and shatter into a million pieces from all the weight, his muscles straining and tearing under the immense pressure. The attack had done a number on Pyrrha for sure, her aura dimming until she had only about 60 or 70% left. But Jaune was in a far worse state; he felt himself just barely hovering within acceptable levels to continue the fight, he was at maybe 16 or 17%? Even a single blow from Pyrrha would end this fight.
He couldn't use any more Dust, the energy required to activate any crystals would push him into the red and if he used the last of his fire Dust then he would probably sear his hands right off this time.
So with that in mind, Jaune did the only thing he could do; he used the gravity Dust, or more specifically he used the crystal.
As quickly as his torn and battered body would allow, Jaune charged at Pyrrha who was just now picking herself up, the jagged edge of the powerless gravity Dust crystal swinging horizontally like a knife to slash at Pyrrha's unarmoured face.
But then it happened again, and this time Jaune was certain that he wasn't seeing things. The black of Pyrrha's aura settled over his armoured wrist plate, and Jaune felt his slash swing past Pyrrha uselessly, almost as if it had been guided away by an outside force.
There was nothing Jaune could do now, his last attack had failed and now Pyrrha was going to end the match.
As expected, less than a second later Jaune felt the razor edge of Milo slice across his exposed torso. A buzz sounded through the room and the match was over, Pyrrha had won.
Jaune slumped to the ground gasping for air; by god that had been intense, easily the most hardcore fight he had ever been in.
"That was great Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she herself plopped to the ground, her voice holding nothing but praise. "I've never actually fought a pure Dust-Mage like yourself, and it was quite the challenge!"
Challenge? Yeah right, she wiped the floor with him! "Come on Pyrrha," Jaune wheezed as he tried in vain to get his breath back, "you destroyed me."
The black and gold of Pyrrha shook her head, "No, actually, I was at a disadvantage for most of the fight. Your use of fire Dust was excellent at keeping me at range, and your use of gravity Dust was… unorthodox, but highly effective."
Sure, and he was a flying purple elephant with green spots. "Nah, I did more damage to myself than I did to you." He waved his burnt right hand in the air, the bandages he usually wore long since turned to ash.
"Oh my god!" Pyrrha exclaimed in shocked horror at his roasted hand, "Jaune! How… why weren't you using a focus of some kind?"
...What?
She must have seen the blank expression on his face, "By the Grimm… you don't have a Dust focus, do you?"
Jaune shook his head, what was she talking about? What was a Dust focus? "What do you mean, Pyrrha?"
Pyrrha gently took hold of Jaune's hurt hand and within moments Jaune felt the pain of the burns and electrical damage lessen, her own aura soothing the damage. "Think about it Jaune; it's the reason that pure Dust-Mages like yourself are so rare. Most people use a sword or something similar to channel the power of Dust so they don't have to feel all the raw energy in their hands. Like Weiss using her rapier, or Russel using his daggers."
Well fuck, all this time Jaune was searing his hands by practicing without a focus of some kind when he didn't have to. But what did this mean? He couldn't switch back to using a sword, that would mean that months of practice using his hands as weapons would be for nothing. "Can… can a focus be anything?" he eventually asked, a small idea beginning to take root in his mind.
Pyrrha's aura bobbed her head in confirmation, "Yes, though most people prefer using a bladed weapon of some kind despite the fact that they wouldn't be able to channel quite as much power. Generally speaking, the bigger the focus the weaker the Dust will be." A small, amused tone entered her voice, "I suppose that's partly why your attacks were so potent, all the raw energy was exploding outwards with nothing holding it back."
Something small? That Jaune could do. The Arc family was stupidly rich after all, and when he ran away to join Beacon he'd made quite the withdrawal. Jaune would get a perfect focus for his Dust; not a sword, but a ring.
Jaune couldn't help but smile, "Thanks for this Pyrrha, you've helped a bunch."
Even to his blind eyes she seemed to glow with happiness, "I - ah… you're welcome, Jaune!"
Yeah, this was perfect. Just another step towards becoming the strongest hunter in the world.
Beacon, present day…
As soon as they set down, Beacon exploded into chaos.
Sirens wailed, and machinery whirred in defiance as the trio set foot on solid ground again.
But Nihilus only smiled at the sound, "Isn't it lovely to be back?"
Jaune and Pyrrha were less than impressed. "No, it's not," the younger Arc groaned, his eyes wary for any danger. "Why are we here?"
Nihilus entered a light jog to where the majestic central tower of Beacon had once stood, the two young hunters reluctantly following him. "The world is broken, the wall between realities cracked and splintered." The dark lord laughed, "I will repair it, or all the worlds will bleed into each other."
Right… okay… that made sense.
But neither of the young hunters had any time to question it; in a sudden flurry of motion, what looked to be almost an entire legion of security droids appeared, their model foreign and unrecognisable to both Jaune and Pyrrha. The grey-coloured machines stormed out of nearby buildings in a rush with their rifles pointed directly at Nihilus.
Nihilus only laughed however, his sickly yellow eyes wide with delight. "Yes, I see them, the empty things made full. What do you think, hmm? I hunger…"
Two black-armoured figures stepped past the legion of death machines, their armour identical to what the huntress had worn back in Dorme before Nihilus killed her. "Jaune Arc!" one of them boomed, his armoured hands holding a blunderbuss/axe threateningly towards Nihilus. "Come back to finish the job? Well no more! This is your end!"
Jaune could only gape. This alone was proof that Nihilus was actually an older Jaune. Worse still was the fact that Jaune recognised the weapon that the first armoured man was holding; it had only been a few short days ago that he had seen it proudly displayed upon the wall as the mustached man told tales of his youth.
It was Professor Peter Port.
At a glance, Jaune didn't recognise the other hunter standing next to him, the club-wielding man silent in his black armour as he stared down Nihilus. But Jaune could guess who it was, the coffee thermos at the end of the club was a dead giveaway for what Professor - sorry, Doctor Oobleck had used in the single lesson Jaune had with the man.
Nihilus' sickly yellow eyes never stopped on the two hunters and their legion of machines, his gaze locked on something unseen behind them. "I know, I know…" he murmured to no one in particular, "They won't stop, even when I am doing them a favour."
"Nihilus!" Pyrrha whispered urgently as she drew her weapons, "What do we do?"
That was an excellent question, one Jaune would very much like to have an answer to as well. Helping the hunters, who had thus far ignored him and Pyrrha, was out of the question since Nihilus was their only chance of ever returning to their world. But two fully-trained hunters and a legion of droids versus only three people? The only one that the machines really posed a threat to was Jaune himself, as he was both untrained and without any kind of weapon since his father had reclaimed Crocea Mors back in Dorme. But Pyrrha didn't know that, she thought he was a younger version of the uber-powerful Nihilus…
Nihilus jerked his left hand downward in a horrifically fast movement; with a grin firmly locked onto his face, he let his hand hit the ground.
It was a sudden thing; one second Jaune, Pyrrha and Nihilus were facing down what practically amounted to firing squad, and the next second the ground rumbled and then there was a thick wall of stone between them and the hunters.
Jaune could only gape at the sudden appearance of the wall. What on Remnant was that! That couldn't have been… Dust, could it? Nihilus had never used Dust before this; his abilities had always seemed nigh magical since he just conjured fire and lightning out of thin air. But this? This was a sign that Nihilus wasn't all-powerful.
"Listen to me," Nihilus ordered, his deadly serious voice snapping attention away from the sudden wall. "I need to repair the world, after that I will return us to your place of origin."
Something was different. Nihilus' sickly yellow eyes were narrowed with concentration, and for the first time since Jaune had first seen him the false lord wasn't hunched over like an old man - his posture was straight and his face clear. And most startling of all were his hands; where before his long pale fingers were bare and plain, now every single finger including his thumbs had a ring of some kind adorning it.
They were strange-looking things, ranging from plain metal bands to rough and uneven things that looked like they were directly cut from stone. Each and every ring also had strange patterns decorating them, faint lines etched into the materials so deeply that they would be impossible to remove without destroying the rings entirely.
"But I cannot do this while distracted by such petty annoyances like them," Nihilus continued, vaguely gesturing to the wall that was beginning to crack and shake. "Kill them, distract them, I don't care. Keep them away from me until I finish my task."
Pyrrha's face was ashen and pale as she nodded. "We understand… we will keep them occupied for as long as possible, but please be quick!"
As much as both of the young hunters hated it, they needed to fight for Nihilus on this. If they failed and Nihilus was captured or killed, then they would be stuck in this world, permanently.
The improvised wall shuddered and cracked, only moments away from being utterly destroyed by the forces on the other side.
"We need to get to the bottom of the tower," Nihilus breathed as the two young hunters prepared themselves, "only from there can the fracture be mended."
Pyrrha nodded, her face resolute as she held her weapons.
Jaune quivered; he was in over his head. He had no training, no weapons… he was going to be a hindrance out there, nothing more than something to slow down Pyrrha and Nihilus.
The wall shattered, chunks of stone spraying outwards like shrapnel towards the three rogue hunters.
But Nihilus was already in control; with a mere wave of his hand the stone stopped dead in the air, forming an improvised shield from the hail of bullets the legion of droids were sending their way.
"Jaune!" Professor Port roared as he fired his blunderbuss at the cover, "Fight us, you coward!"
Jaune and Pyrrha could only blink in surprise as Nihilus snarled, and then with a single jerk of his hand the rocks that had been suspended in the air shot outwards towards the two hunters and their droid legion.
The rocks smashed into few of their targets, Port and Oobleck smashing the projectiles out of the air and the droids dodging with surprising dexterity.
But Nihilus wasn't done; with his face still twisted hatefully, he stretched out both his hands and… clicked his fingers?
It seemed to have the desired effect however, as the ground directly beneath Port and Oobleck's feet literally exploded into an inferno of blinding fire and heat less than a second later.
"Move!" Nihilus shouted towards the two dumbfounded hunters at his side, Jaune and Pyrrha gaping at the impossibly precise use of fire Dust. "Run!"
They didn't need to be told twice. Jaune and Pyrrha bolted like bats out of hell through the smoky haze where the now-scattered legion had been only moments before.
From behind them Nihilus clicked his fingers again, and in another almost blinding flash of light a group of about three or four of the armoured mechs combusted, the dull grey metal of their bodies burning away in a flash.
Neither Jaune nor Pyrrha dared look behind them as more explosions rattled off after Nihilus snapped his fingers; the two young hunters were locked in their dead sprint towards the hollow area where Beacon Tower had once stood. Pyrrha led the charge, her shield protecting her from the hail of bullets. But Jaune wasn't quite so lucky; with Crocea Mors gone, all he had to shield himself with was his aura and the sparse armour he wore.
Another explosion rattled out, and not a moment later Jaune and Pyrrha jumped into what they assumed was once some kind of basement for Beacon Tower, though now it was little more than a hollowed-out pit filled with rubble and scorch marks.
Nihilus jumped in a second later; the moment he landed his pale, ring-covered hands slammed into the ground, a massive slab of stone slamming into place above them with his powerful use of earth Dust. In an instant the chamber was thrown into darkness as the rock above them turned into an impromptu ceiling, the sound of gunfire and muffled shouts still leaking into the room.
"Nihilus?" Pyrrha questioned as she and Jaune groped around the darkness, utterly unable to see anything.
The immortal didn't say anything, but with one more snap of his fingers the room came into flickering clarity as a small fire burst into life.
"It won't hold for long," Nihilus muttered as he began tracing his fingers around the edge of the room, a strange purple glow seeping from his fingertips. "Even now they are moving towards the stairway on the far side of the room."
The two young hunters felt their eyes widen. Nihilus was right, the gunfire above had ceased and now the incessant sound of metal feet stomping down rough stairs could be heard.
"We…" Pyrrha murmured, her face pale as she readied her weapons, "we will hold them off. But please hurry!"
Her green eyes turned to Jaune as she urged him to follow her, but Jaune knew he couldn't.
He was weak… he had no training… he would die.
"I need to talk with Nihilus first," Jaune all but begged, "Please Pyrrha, I'll be there in a second."
Pyrrha practically winced, her expression showing that she didn't particularly agree with Jaune not going with her immediately. But she nodded anyway, aware that Jaune would have his reasons for doing this. "Hurry," she whispered, and then she bolted towards the door.
Jaune didn't have a second to waste. In a few short moments Pyrrha would be stuck fighting at the bottom of the stairs to protect them all, and what could Jaune do to help her? Absolutely nothing.
Unless Nihilus could help somehow.
Urgently, Jaune stepped next to the false lord, his ring-clad pale hands still glowing a faint purple as he traced lines over the wall. "Nihilus!" Jaune practically shouted as the horrible sound of gunfire broke out near the stairs, "If you're really me, then you know what'll happen if I go out there!"
The elder version of Jaune didn't turn to regard the younger, the ghostly white skin of his fingers bathed in purple light that seemingly had no point of origin. "And?" He demanded, utterly ignoring Jaune's stricken expression.
"And I have no training!" Jaune whispered loudly, wincing at the sound of rending machinery not far away. "I need a weapon of some kind, anything! I need to help Pyrrha!"
Nihilus stilled, his hand losing its purple glow for just a moment before he resumed tracing the purple lines on the wall. "Do you feel it?" he asked suddenly, "The ache in your chest, the want? The desire?"
Ache? Want? Desire? Jaune knew the words, but right now they meant nothing to him; he needed a weapon so he could help Pyrrha, even if it meant going into a fight he had no hope of surviving. "Yes!" Jaune lied, "I feel it, now give me a weapon!"
For the first time in the conversation, Nihilus turned to face Jaune, his sickly yellow eyes swimming with madness and delight as he eyed his younger counterpart like he was a piece of meat. "Once I do this, it cannot be undone, my shell," his pale hand latched onto Jaune's right wrist like a vice, utterly locking the younger male in place. "Do you accept the gift I give you?"
Nihilus had a strange, feral look in his eyes as he held Jaune still, but the younger Arc was resolute. He had to do this. "Yes," he begged, silently wishing that Nihilus could hurry up, Pyrrha needed his help now!
Nihilus grinned.
In a blinding flash of movement, Jaune felt something hot being forced over the middle finger on his right hand; his mind and eyes had hardly a second to look at the strange object. A bluish-silver ring with burning red lines sat snugly on his finger, the metal just bordering on being too hot to bear.
But in that instant, Jaune died.
The firelit room around him faded from sight as Jaune drifted in an endless sea of blackness, sound and feeling washing away under the darkness.
Except… the ring.
In a sea of nothing, he felt the heat, the burning of the ring on his finger. It was so impossibly hot that everything else seemed incredibly dull in comparison.
The world of darkness abruptly shattered, a raging red inferno swirling around Jaune so brightly that for a moment he worried that he might go blind. But that was the least of his worries; it all burned! It was so hot that Jaune felt himself roasting alive, the heat so intense that Jaune felt like he was being immolated on the spot. Jaune tried to scream out in agony, but there was no air for him to breathe in, the fire having greedily consumed it all.
But a moment later the flames parted for just a second, a pure white being stepping through the flames. The figure was human-shaped, the exact same size and shape as Jaune himself. Except he was pure white, the only vaguely human feature was the impossibly wide smile that adorned his otherwise blank face.
Jaune hardly processed this, the fire eating away at him much too intense.
"Pyrrha's out there, you know," the white being said cheerily, "wondering where you are, why you aren't helping her."
Jaune tried to scream in agony, but no sound escaped him.
"At this rate she's going to die," its expression shifted into an intense frown, "all alone and abandoned, by the man she thought was her partner."
Jaune screamed once more, but this time it was out of fury at the being that was taunting him.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" it asked, "I know it does, I felt the same heat myself once. But do you know how I survived?"
Even as his body began to crumble into ashes he reached forwards, utterly intent on throttling the monster before him.
"I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me."
And suddenly, Jaune understood.
The fire didn't burn, the gentle caress of its orange flames licking at his form as the blond Arc stood straight and stared at the white being. "I understand."
The smile that had adorned its face grew impossibly wide. "Yes, I think you do."
A instant later, Jaune blinked and found himself staring at Nihilus' grinning face, the pale lord holding a fistful of glowing red crystals aloft, waiting for Jaune to take them. "You know how," he murmured.
Jaune took the crystals, his mind burning hotter than any fire could ever hope to match. "I do!" he shouted triumphantly.
He couldn't explain it, hell, he hardly realised it himself. But Jaune knew how to use the fire Dust Nihilus had just given him, he knew how to masterfully control and direct its power with nothing more than a snap of his fingers. He felt like he had known for years, that it was just another piece of who he was. The knowledge was there, all the power the crystal could give him was just waiting to be unleashed by Jaune's now masterful hands.
The ring… the ring… he knew that the ring was the catalyst, the focus that directed his new might. Maybe the knowledge was in in the ring originally, but now it was a slave to Jaune's will.
With a whoop of excitement, Jaune rushed away from Nihilus towards the stairs where Pyrrha was fighting, his whole body thrumming in elation at the sudden power he held. This was beyond his wildest dreams, skill like this? If Jaune had enough Dust, he could wipe away a city with just a literal snap of his fingers. Was this the skill Nihilus held with fire Dust?
Jaune rounded the corner to the sight of Pyrrha ducking behind a broken slab of stone, a thin cut above her right eye gushing blood onto her face.
The broken bodies of several of the machines littered the ground, but many more were flooding down the stairs, their rifles raised and bullets whittling away the eroding stone that Pyrrha hid behind.
With a Dust crystal clutched in his left hand Jaune snapped his fingers, knowledge that he hadn't earned guiding him.
The doorway combusted, several of the droids bursting into flames under Jaune's carefully directed power. Idly, Jaune noticed that Pyrrha was staring at him with surprise written all over her face, but he didn't care. He felt incredible! With another snap of his fingers, the doorway burst into a renewed patch of flame, the mechs burning even brighter than before.
The giddy rush of power Jaune felt was amazing; with this skill and knowledge that Nihilus had gifted him with, Jaune was easily stronger than any other hunter-in-training in Beacon. Hell, he was stronger than quite a few fully trained hunters too! Nothing could stop him now, with a boost like this Jaune could easily become the most powerful hunter in the world!
Jaune snapped his fingers again, the flames exploding outwards violently.
But the knowledge was incomplete! Jaune could feel it, the absence where knowledge of other types of Dust should be, and the history associated with the skill too. It was like he knew it, but he didn't know how he knew it. The skill with the fire was just… there.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha practically screamed in his face, snapping the blonde out of his thoughts.
"What, Pyrrha?" he demanded, couldn't she see that he was busy? Jaune snapped his fingers at the now horribly charred stairs to emphasize this, a burst of flames wiping away more droids.
Pyrrha grabbed Jaune roughly by the shoulders, forcing him to tear his gaze away from the site of his devastation. "Jaune, stop!"
Finally Jaune stopped, his blue eyes narrowed on his partner. Why did she stop him? Couldn't she see that he had the situation under control? Why couldn't she just leave him alone! Why couldn't-
Whoa… where did that come from? Why was he so angry all of a sudden? This wasn't like him at all! Jaune was normally pretty calm about stuff…
"Jaune!" Pyrrha snapped, instantly grabbing his attention once more. "Listen!"
Listen? Listen to what? There wasn't… any… noise… oh shit.
The sound of metal feet stomping down the stairs had stopped entirely, leaving only an eerie silence filling the deadened space that they were in. But that couldn't be right; despite the kill count accumulated between Pyrrha and himself, they wouldn't have taken out even half of the droids, and that's not even accounting for Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck…
"Up!" Pyrrha ordered frantically as she pulled Jaune towards the charred staircase, "We need to get up there and stop them before they blow their way into the chamber!"
Jaune's eyes widened as he too started running, the previously red-hot stairs passing by his feet in a blur as he and Pyrrha dashed upwards to prevent anything from interrupting Nihilus.
Within moments they were met with open air, but as soon as their eyes settled on what awaited them they stopped moving instantly.
The numbers they had faced before were nothing compared to this…
The military of Vale had shown up, all of it apparently.
Dozens of bullheads buzzed angrily through the air, hundreds of black-armoured droids marched in perfect unison, and what looked to be every hunter in the kingdom pointed their weapons at Jaune and Pyrrha.
Ever so slowly, the two young hunters raised their hands; one of them intent on surrendering, and the other burning with suppressed power.
A moment of silence passed, neither side willing to make the first move.
But finally, finally, one of the hunters spoke. "Step away from the-"
He never got to finish his sentence.
Gathering all the skill and mastery over the power of fire Dust that Jaune hadn't earned, he clicked his fingers.
And the world exploded into fire.
A/N
So please don't make the mistake and think that after just a few months of training young Nihilus can match Pyrrha (however roughly) in a fight; the way Jaune (Nihilus) fights is bullshit enough that he just tends to throw people for a loop. That said, he is certainly no pushover either. Young Nihilus is (somewhat ironically) best suited as a support fighter; let his bigger and more durable teammates take a beating while he controls the battlefield.
And Jaune… oh Jaune. While there were hints of it in this chapter, things are about to get way, way worse for him thanks to him foolishly accepting the 'gift' that Nihilus offered.
Vague hints for next chapter aside, let's look at the reviews!
danzindogeek:
Thanks for reviewing.
True, but such a conclusion is much more obvious to the reader. Where you and I can go back and re-read the riddles and twisted truths that Nihilus spouts Jaune and Pyrrha can't. Funny thing is, Nihilus hasn't actually lied about anything since his arrival in chapter 1 - he just speaks in such a roundabout way that he hardly makes sense.
COOLER:
Thanks for reviewing.
I tend to try and mix things up a little. I enjoy twisting expectations and what is considered conventional in order to make something really unique. I'm pleased I was able to win you over despite your doubts.
Yeah, Penny is a psycho. All those dudes on the ground? Yeah, I suppose they could have survived - aura and all that. But the guys in the bullheads? Nope. Best case scenario they weren't cut in half and died when in the crash, but even that's a sucky way to die.
Future RWBY are a sad bunch for sure, and also not exactly wrong in their view point either…
Nihilus is, frankly, trapped. He is constantly going through memories of not only his own life, but the lives of both Cinder and Amber - thanks to this his perception of reality is hazy. As for Pyrrha actually appearing… eh, you'll see.
Ruby did what she thought she had to do.
It's been so many years since I've even seen Digimon, but it still holds a place in my heart. Much better than the spew of Pokemon.
thelastcenturion2015:
Thanks for reviewing.
The alternate Ruby is rather stunted compared to what you'd expect. Pretty much her entire adult life has been dedicated to hunting and controlling Nihilus, and because of that she tends to feel that he is her responsibility. Add to that the fact that Ruby doesn't trust any of the major players anymore (Ironwood, Ozpin, so on so on...) and you get the character that you see; a ball of hurt covered in a fine layer of anger and neuroticism.
Shaded Azure:
Thanks for reviewing.
I aim to please.
Nihilus and RWBY (or Brew, which I find quite amusing) are pretty messed up as a whole, but I don't think any of them are totally lost on what they used to be. They all have their motivations and goals, all for valid reasons.
Death-The-Horsemen
Thanks for reviewing.
Thanks, I appreciate that everyone has their preferences and I am thankful that it hasn't stopped you from reading my work.
The alternate RWBY, sadly, is rather blind when it comes to Jaune and Nihilus. They accepted years ago that he was a monster, and since then there has only been one case of one of their members empathising with Nihilus - which ended extremely poorly later. From their perspective they are the heroes, and Jaune (both of them) is the villain.
Tabris the 17th angle:
Thanks for reviewing.
Don't worry about it, everyone has their own life to deal with.
Ozpin is morally ambiguous at best, but he won't condone killing Jaune for something he hasn't done. I'd say it's pretty safe to say that the younger team RWBY wouldn't help their counterparts if they knew what exactly their plan was, but nothing is stopping them from being tricked.
Ruby did what she thought she had to do, she just wasn't aware of all the details…
priceless22:
Thanks for reviewing.
Nihilus has had a shit run of things, even just thinking about his life has leaves me feeling pretty crappy about creating him...
The RWBY of Nihilus' world are pretty messed up, but neither side is guilt free - what they are attempting to do seems pretty justified from their point of view.
And thanks, I try.
To all those who reviewed, I love you for it! You're all wonderful people. To all those who didn't… well why not?! Come and feel the love!
